Sloane Berrent

Sloane Berrent is a social entrepreneur, philanthropist and writer who focuses on the intersection of technology and social good.

A few lessons from this program

Here are a few of her tips.

Try new events – If you want to meet new people, you have to try doing new things. She’s not someone that most people would consider a “geek” but she tried tech events and ended up meeting her future boss at one.

Set an intention – On her way to an event, instead of listening to the radio or talking on the phone, she spends some quiet time setting an intention for the event. It helps her become more aware of opportunities at the event.

Keep a free hand – Events aren’t about the food & drink. If you have food in one hand and a drink in the other, you won’t be able to shake hands with new people.

Find focal points – I love this idea. Sloane told me that when she gets to an event, she looks for focal points like the bar. She then slowly makes her way from one point to the other. That helps her circulate throughout the event and keeps her from standing in one place or being in one conversation for too long.

Invite people – An easy way to stay in touch with people is to invite them to events. Sloane told me that when she first met Ryan, she invited him to a Heal the Bay event. He couldnâ€™t make it to the event, but he made a her a job offer soon after the invitation.

More – This is only a partial list of what we talked about. Listen to the interview for more.

I really appreciate Sloane’s point that finding your “dream job” is by no means easy and that it may take a long time. I’ve been there and know how frustrating it can be, but I agree that the best way to get there is to keep a positive attitude, always be learning, and put yourself out there.

Good points about networking you typically don’t think about. What I learned from this podcast is networking requires preparation, setting goals and having a purpose attending the event. As being approachable may sound quite obvious, I think I need to work on that, I’ve been to many networking events and thinking back, I was probably not the most approachable dude. I have an event I will be attending next week, this time I am going to have the radio off on the way there and set clear goals. Lets see how I can improve.

Deep – I’d love to hear how the event goes! I know it’s the smallest thing, but isn’t it amazing when you think about something before you do it or it happens – how much more control you can have in a situation? I hope the tips from this interview help in all future networking for you.

I’d just like to add my own insight: elevation. Most people stay glued to the floor; sure, they move from one focal point to another. But next time get some elevation – I usually enjoy finding a table or two to walk on, even a bar or service counter. Now, once you’re up there have some fun, start a conversation and introduce yourself.